Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-01-13

J
of exercise and feed taken by swine in
mild weather on farm with good range
is far greater than they will get from
this time on till grass and clover come
again. This calls for care on the part of
the feeder TO adjust his rations to the
new conditions surrounding his herd. As
the amount of exercise taken is lessened
the feed should be-uot the cons, ipating,
heating ration of corn alone, as is too of
I ten the case.
Corn is the universal feed. is the most
convenient and perhaps most liked by
our stock. But that it is too concentrate
ed and too heating for constant and long
feeding is too we'll known TO require
\ proof. But as clover or grass injured by
frost Is washy and as the ground will
soon be frozen sp or showed under, what
1 else can we feed asks the farmer. Well
if you have not provided pumpkins, re-
fuse potatoes, apples, roots and the like
as your safeguards in changing from
green to dry, you will do better to sell
enough corn to buy bran, oil cake meal
and oats, so as to be able to give at least
as much of these as you do corn. Corn
and oats ground half and half and mixed
with equal bulk of bran makes safe
/ feed, which will prevent heating and con-
| stipation, and induce harmonious growth
of bone and muscle.
If rou have clover hay and have only
corn for your hogs, by all means have
some corn ground and then run some
clover hay through the cutting box and
wet it with hot water and allow 1t to stand
from morning until evening. Mix with
this half the amount of meal you would
usually feed your herd, and see if the
clover and feed will not 60 further and
keep shoats and sows in better condi-
ton than when fed double the amount
of meal or its equivalent in dry corn.
OF course, some will say that the clover
is not as nutritious as corn. Well, that
may be, under some conditions. But as
you are now situated your hogs are short
of exercise and succulent feed which
correct the tendency TO sluggishness of
the dig estive organs. The chaffed clovsr
distends the stomach and makes the
contents porous and easily and prompt
ly acted on by the gastric juice, so that
the clover and corn meal are more
promptly digested and assimilated than
the corn or corn meal alone can posi-
bly, be.
An examination of the excrefnent will
show that about 40 per sent of the starch
and albumen III the corn or meal fed
alone passes undigested, but when the
meal if mixed with the damp of steamed
clover the per cent. OF undigested food
is reduced to less than 10 per cent. SO
you see it is economy to feed some bulgy
and fibroGs substance with rich and con
centarted feed. For this reason cob
meal may be better than pure corn meal
and more economical. Bran mixed with
corn meal and oil cake meal is beneficial
and economical. because it facilitates di
gestion and gives the ration a larger per
cent of phosphates and lower per cent.
of albuminoius. If you are wintering a
lot of brood sows and fall pigs the best
success caa not come from corn diet.
We must have less concentrated and
more bulky and more laxative diet. OF
course pumpkins, turnips, mangels, APP
Piles and the like will be grand supple
ment TO a moderate corn ration. But
these vegetables and clover both lack the
starch and gluten to afford the animals
the requisite amount of heat.
1t is bad economy to try to winter pigs
or sows only on such a washy diet as
pumpkins, turnips, mangolds, and the
like. 1t is also bad economy to try to
winter on corn alone. IL is best kind of
economy to combine the two kinds of
feed. A larger per cent of the ration
from mixed feed will be digested. The
question is not how much an animal eats
so much as how much of the feed does 1t
digest and assimilate! 1t is true, think
that the wholesomeness, as well as econo-
my of agiven feed, may be measured b.
the per cent. of it that Is digested and as
simulated.
The question of feeding is the great
problem in making cheap and healthy
stock. As an aid to comfort and health
and economy, we must provide drink
water or slop 49, that is not too cold. A
cold draught of water taken into the
stomach of an animal stops digestion
until the contents of the stomach are
raised to the normal temperature of the
body. To raise temperature means more
neat; more heat means more feed rich in
heat formers. Evidently it Is cheaper
and more healthful to give the animals
drink not so cold as to stop digestion and
tax the heat producing supply in the sys-
tenn. Stove wood and coal are cheaper
fuel than corn and mill feed. Rather
than give ice-cold water or slop 1t Will
pay to warm it up with an addition of
hot water, so the whole is tepid. After
draught of such drink the pigs will not
SILVER and hurry off to bury themselves
in the bedding.
They will ramble around if the wind Is
not too severe. l find economy and com
fort in having the slop barrel encased in
a big box, pac ked around with straw or
chat so as to prevent freezing Every
other day the slop is made warm and
covered up close. 1t never is very cold,
and will ferment slightly, which bursts
the starch cells and makes the feed
more palatable and digestible. With
care as to these points, we find our fall
pigs thrive all winter and come out IN the
spring with smooth coats, and free from
cough and NANCY looks that are com
mon, yes, universal, among pigs wintered
on dry corn and water. Dry, we'll
ventilated, clean quarters and feed, as
above indicated, will be found great econ
omizers of feed and most valuable pre-
ventives of disease.
FLOWERS AND FRUIT